CS-80 Voice Architecture with the Solaris

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niversen
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CS-80 Voice Architecture with the Solaris

Post by niversen »

The Solaris is a very powerful synthesizer. It is much more powerful than all the old analog polysynths. This is wonderful. It is also confusing if you are not a competent synth programmer. What is a good way to learn a new skill? Copy something successful! One of the benefits of setting up a Solaris "Jupiter 8" patch is that you will automatically be put into a world where almost everything you program will be usable - just like the original. But, you can then venture out from there to try different oscillators, filters, etc. Soon you will be well beyond anything that could be programmed on one of the finest polysynths made.

In this post on my website, I detail how I used the Solaris to model a CS-80 - the most desirable analog vintage poly. So far I've done this exercise with the Jupiter 8 and the CS-80. I have a Dave Smith OB6, so I tend to go there for the Oberheim sounds more than setting them up in the Solaris, but you can do that too if you want! If you need a place to start exploring, or you want to vicariously explore CS-80 ownership without the maintenance bill, power up the Solaris and set up the patch from my blog post.
John Bowen
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Re: CS-80 Voice Architecture with the Solaris

Post by John Bowen »

Thanks for posting your article! I'd like to correct two things mentioned there that I hope you can edit:

1) you get 10 voices with the Solaris, not 20 (unless you have 2 Solarises/Solari)

2) there are 2 ring modulators in the Solaris - ring mod is but one of four possible Amplitude Modulation options, and you have these two AM sections for that.
niversen
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Re: CS-80 Voice Architecture with the Solaris

Post by niversen »

Thanks John, Ive corrected the post! Once again proving how inexhausibly deep the Solaris really is. I know the instrument well at this point, but mastering it is quite a task!
niversen
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Re: CS-80 Voice Architecture with the Solaris

Post by niversen »

Ok, that is awesome. Thank you John - a bit of Ring Modulation really expands the harmonic complexity, and when mixed in with subtlety, just lovely. I just learned another useful trick with my Solaris!
M-Prod
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Re: CS-80 Voice Architecture with the Solaris

Post by M-Prod »

Hi niversen,
thanks for this. Could you (or anyone else that gets is) help me out with you CS80 template. You see, i understand from your signal flow that Mixer 1 should go in VCA1 and Mixer 2 should go in VCA2. But the thing is, when i go into the VCA, i cannot select the mixer as an input. Only the filter or InsFX. The workaround is to select InsFX1 (/InsFX2) as the VCA's input and the input of the InsFX1/2 to Mixer1/2.
niversen
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Joined: Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:29 pm
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Re: CS-80 Voice Architecture with the Solaris

Post by niversen »

M-Prod,

You've got it! Yes, you just patch it through the Insert FX as you suggest. I left the insert FX off. There are a few "hard wired" paths in the synth, but really, they can all be patched around if you have a brief think about it. I don't know if you could overdrive that VCA in the original CS-80 (I doubt it), but on the Bowen you can, if you want to!
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